Subscribe to this blog

Follow by Email

History was made last night during the Trenton Thunder’s 9-6
win over the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, as Yankees No. 18 prospect Thairo
Estrada hit for the cycle. The cycle was the third in Trenton’s history, and first in their postseason history, and
helped the Yankees’ AA affiliate tie the postseason series against
Binghamton 1-1.

Beverly Schaefer / For The Times

Estrada began the cycle by lining an RBI single to center
field in the first inning. He laced a lead off triple to center in the third
inning, and then after a ground out in the fourth, drilled a lead off homer to
left center in the sixth inning. He stepped up to the plate in the seventh inning
with one on and two outs, knowing that he was just a double away from history,
but instead was hit by a pitch from Mets No. 25 prospect P.J. Conlon. Luck was
on Thairo’s side however, as the Thunder kept hitting and he was able to bat
again in the ninth inning. With one on and two outs once again, he slapped a
ground ball past the reach of first baseman Matt Oberste. Running at
full speed out of the box, Estrada was able to reach second and complete the
cycle.

“My focus was to hit the ball in the gaps, hit the ball up
the middle and so that’s what I was looking to do,” he said after the game. “I
was happy to accomplish that.”

Estrada enjoyed a breakout season in 2017, hitting
.301/.353/.392, with six homers, 19 doubles, four triples, eight stolen bases,
and just 56 strikeouts in 495 at bats. I profiled him back in May as a
potential breakout prospect, and he came through with a stellar season. It was
his first full season at AA.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Yankees may have won big last night against the Kansas City Royals, but suffered one of their most significant losses of the season when they lost Aaron Judge for at least the next three to four weeks to an ulnar styloid fracture after being hit by a pitch on his right wrist. This injury sent the Bronx Faithful into a panic; they conducted a candlelight vigil at Yankee stadium for their wounded outfielder, and everyone suggesting their ideas of how Brian Cashman and company should fill the enormous hole left by their gargantuan slugger.

The
Yankees are now 22-10 and are only half of a game back of the Boston Red Sox
in the American League East standings. The Yankees have proven they are for
real and will undoubtedly be in the playoff picture come October, but this does
not mean the team is not flawless. Where do teams typically try to
patch up the holes on their roster? The Trade Deadline. I know the season is
roughly a month and some change away from prime trade talks, but I wanted to do
an early preview of the areas of need the Yankees may have and who they might
pursue.

Aaron
Judge has seemingly done it all on the field since he debuted in the majors in
the summer of 2016. He hit a home run in his first at-bat, broke the rookie
home run record, has had a section in Yankee Stadium designed for him, and has
set the standard for StatCast metrics with his unreal exit velocity, but what
occurred Wednesday night in Toronto was one of the most feel good stories for
the Yankees in 2018. This would have never happened, however, without a
standard of sportsmanship established by the “Aaron Judge Kid’s” family.